“Yeah, as in grass-fed beef,” she said sarcastically. “They’re in the pasture behind the house.”
Owen scratched his head, wondering who convinced his dad to buy them. Conner ran down the stairs and shoved the screen door open, letting it slam shut.
Owen gently grabbed him by the arm.
“Hey, this home belongs to you and me. We treat it with kindness. Don’t slam the door.”
Conner’s eyes grew wide, and he glanced at Leslie to help him.
“Rules didn’t change because your dad died. What do you think I might’ve said?” she asked Conner.
“Conner Wolfe, were you born in a barn?” the boy said, grinning.
Shaking her head, Leslie pointed at the truck. “Go put your stuff inside and say goodbye to your brother.”
Conner gazed at Owen. “Will I get to see you again?”
“Yeah. Elias will want to meet you, too. He’s super smart,” he told him. “How old are you?”
“I’m almost eight. Don’t forget,” he said as he bounded down the stairs.
“May I call you once Elias arrives? Maybe we can take the boy for dinner?” he suggested.
Leslie narrowed her eyes at him. “You can text me when you’re on your way. My number never changed, unlike yours. His bedtime is nine. I want to keep him on his routine as much as possible.”
“I’ll be sure to have him home by then,” he assured her.
Leslie hopped into an old, beat-up truck and started the engine. His heart raced as she ruffled Conner’s hair and laughed at something he said. He guessed her eyes lit up like they did every time he made her laugh. It seemed he only made her angry now.
Sighing, he returned to the house to grab a pair of work gloves and went to care for the cows and goats. She never said where he might find the latter. With time on his hands, he guessed he’d figure it out. He went to work thinking of the brown-haired, green-eyed woman he left behind.
CHAPTER 4
In the afternoon,Owen finished reviewing the paperwork, called the lawyer listed on the file, and made an appointment with the funeral home for the following morning. He stood up and gazed out the window when he spotted Elias pulling into the driveway.
He walked onto the porch and waited for his younger brother.
Elias grabbed a bag from the trunk and walked up the steps to greet him. He stuck his hand out as he said, “It’s good to see you, Owen.”
Owen pulled his brother into a manly hug.
“I’m glad you came. I put on a pot of coffee and found some cookies in the cabinet. Do you want to join me?”
“Yeah. I’ll take my stuff to my old room, and then, I’ll come down.
“I’ll leave you to it,” he said as he returned to the kitchen.
A few minutes later, Elias joined him at the kitchen table.
“Nobody else came?” he asked, accepting the cookies and adding sugar to his coffee.
“No. We have a couple of issues to discuss before we decide on a course of action,” Owen told him as he poured some cream into his coffee and scanned the room, recalling all the memories made at the table.
“Yeah? Like what? The fact we haven’t heard from you in ten years? One day we’re fighting, and the next day you’re gone,” Elias replied vehemently.
Sighing, Owen scratched his head. “A lot of things got said after Mom’s funeral. Things we can’t take back. I needed out. For years, I acted like the third parental figure in this house, and one night changed everything.”
“Yes, Owen. You acted as our dad for most of our lives. You left us with an alcoholic father who got arrested shortly after you left, and we got sent to foster homes. Did you ever wonder about what happened to us?” Elias asked, demanding answers.
